2000
#141,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Jant
A Germanic surname derived from the given name Johan or Johannes.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 123 Americans carry the last name Jant. That puts it at #151,639 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,786,621 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Jant surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
123
1 in 2,786,621
Census rank
#151,639
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
107
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 107 bearers of the surname Jant in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 151639th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Jant, the largest self-reported group is Black at 82.2%. The next largest groups are White (16.8%) and Two or More Races (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Jant
The surname JANT is believed to have originated in Germany during the medieval period. It is thought to be derived from the Middle Low German word "jant," which means "a small portion or morsel." This suggests that the name may have been initially used as a nickname for someone who was considered small or meager in stature or build.
In its earliest recorded form, the name appeared as "Jante" in various German records from the 13th and 14th centuries. Some variations of the spelling included "Jantze" and "Janz." These early mentions of the name were primarily found in regions such as Saxony, Thuringia, and Brandenburg.
One of the earliest documented references to the JANT surname can be found in a 1387 manuscript from the town of Erfurt, which mentions a certain "Hans Jante" who was a local merchant. Another notable early bearer of the name was Johann Jant, a Lutheran minister who lived in Wittenberg during the 16th century and was a contemporary of Martin Luther.
During the 17th century, the JANT surname began to spread beyond Germany, with some families bearing the name migrating to neighboring regions such as the Netherlands and Denmark. In the Netherlands, the name was sometimes spelled as "Jante" or "Janten."
One of the most prominent figures with the JANT surname was Carl Gustav Jant, a German-born philosopher and theologian who lived from 1825 to 1892. He was known for his work on the relationship between religion and science, and his writings had a significant influence on the development of liberal theology in Germany.
Another notable individual with the JANT surname was August Jant, a German architect who lived from 1850 to 1917. He was responsible for designing several prominent buildings in Berlin, including the Reichstag building, which housed the German parliament.
In the 19th century, the JANT surname also made its way to other parts of Europe, including France and England. One example is the French writer and critic Jules Jant, who was born in Paris in 1859 and was known for his literary criticism and his advocacy for realism in art and literature.
Overall, while not a particularly widespread surname, JANT has a rich history that can be traced back to medieval Germany and has been carried by individuals of note in various fields over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Jant
Among Census respondents with the surname Jant, the largest self-reported group is Black at 82.2%. The next largest groups are White (16.8%) and Two or More Races (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Jant bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Jant surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American82.2% · 88
- White16.8% · 18
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Jant
Jant appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#157,234
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
-5 bearers (-4.6%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 15,446 places
2020
#151,639
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
+4 bearers (+3.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 5,595 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #141,788 | 108 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #157,234 | 103 | 0.03 | -5 bearers (-4.6%) | Down 15,446 places |
| 2020 | #151,639 | 107 | 0.04 | +4 bearers (+3.9%) | Up 5,595 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Jant surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #157,234 | #151,639 | 3.6% |
| Count | 103 | 107 | 3.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 19.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Jant bearers went from 103 to 107 (+3.9% change). The surname moved up 5,595 positions in the national ranking, going from #157,234 to #151,639.
FAQ
Jant surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Jant?
Name Census estimates that about 123 living Americans carry the surname Jant. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,786,621 residents.
How common is Jant?
Jant ranks #151,639 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 107 people with the surname Jant. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (123), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Jant.
Has Jant become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Jant went from 103 recorded bearers to 107. That is an increase of 4 (+3.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #157,234 to #151,639.
What does the Census say about the background of Jant?
Among Census respondents with the surname Jant, the largest self-reported group is Black at 82.2%. The next largest groups are White (16.8%) and Two or More Races (0.9%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Jant in the 2020 Census, accounting for 82.2% (88 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Jant appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (82.2%), White (16.8%), Two or More Races (0.9%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Jant (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Jant mean?
A Germanic surname derived from the given name Johan or Johannes. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Jant (0.04 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the last name Jant?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the last name Jant at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.